Giorgia Meloni Calls on Gaza Flotilla to Halt in Support of Trump’s Middle East Plan
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has urged an international flotilla carrying aid to Gaza to abandon its mission, warning that its actions could derail US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan for the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set off from Barcelona before this month, is edging toward Israel’s nonmilitary leaguer.
On board are activists, lawgivers, and high-profile numbers similar to Swedish climate contender Greta Thunberg.
Their end to deliver food and inventories directly to Palestinians trapped in Gaza, where the UN has formerly declared the Middle East’s first shortage in ultramodern times.
But Meloni struck a cautionary note, stressing that the mission’s defiance of Israel’s blockade risks inflaming an already volatile situation.
“The hope represented by Trump’s plan, unveiled at the White House on Monday, rests on a fragile balance which many people would be happy to destroy,” Meloni said.
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni warned a Gaza aid flotilla to halt, saying it risks derailing a fragile US peace plan. The flotilla, with 40 boats and 500 people including Greta Thunberg, insists on continuing despite interception threats and Israeli demands to reroute aid. pic.twitter.com/ynhRjkut4S
— News 92Times (@News92Times) October 1, 2025
“I fear that the flotilla’s attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade could serve as a pretext to do so,” she continued.
The Italian leader, who dispatched a navy frigate to shadow the convoy, appealed to participants to divert.
“For this reason too, I believe that the flotilla should stop now and accept one of the various proposals put forward for the safe transfer of aid.
Any other choice risks becoming a pretext for preventing peace, fuelling conflict, and therefore affecting above all the people of Gaza.”
Israel insists the flotilla is linked to Hamas, though no evidence has been provided. Authorities in Tel Aviv have told organisers to dock at an Israeli port, promising to channel supplies into Gaza.
The flotilla has flatly refused, pointing instead to UN reports that aid has been systematically blocked at Israeli checkpoints, even as Gaza’s population suffers from mass hunger.
The convoy is expected to reach the naval blockade between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Tension is already mounting.
Meloni’s plea comes as Donald Trump unveiled his own roadmap for ending the conflict, a plan championed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The offer demands an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, and the demilitarization of Hamas fighters. In return, Israel would begin a phased pullout from Gaza.
Controversially, the blueprint also envisions Trump himself overseeing a “post-war transitional authority”, a detail that has drawn both scepticism and cautious praise across the international stage.
For Meloni, an ideological ally of Trump, the risk is clear: one misstep at sea could collapse a peace effort before it even takes hold.
Her message was blunt. Stand down now, or risk being blamed for fuelling more conflict.
With Gaza on the brink, the coming days will decide whether aid reaches its destination, and whether Meloni’s intervention helps stabilise Trump’s fragile peace initiative, or simply adds another layer of political drama to an already explosive situation.
